Rabat – Princess Lalla Hasna presided over the annual diplomatic charity gala dinner, organized by the Australian embassy in Morocco and the Diplomatic Foundation, on Monday, December 23, in Rabat.
The dinner is an annual tradition that brings together diplomats, businessmen, and artists to aid people in precarious situations. It aims to collect funds that will improve social work in Morocco through financing NGO projects in the fields of health, education, and training.
During the event, the Australian ambassador to Morocco, Berenice Owen-Jones, expressed her gratitude for Princess Lalla Hasna’s engagement in charity work. Australia’s participation in the gala is “not only a great honor,” but also “a strong symbol of the strong links between Morocco and Australia,” she added.
The opening of the Australian embassy in Rabat, the first in Francophone Africa, in 2017 has contributed to overcoming the “distance tyranny” created by the 20,000 kilometers separating Morocco and Australia, said Owen-Jones.
Despite the distance, Morocco and Australia “share the same values of solidarity, sharing, and mutual aid,” she concluded.
The Diplomatic Foundation’s president, Abdelati Habek, also expressed his gratitude towards Princess Lalla Hasna for chairing the event.
The funds collected during the dinner will go to the Association Al Ihssane for children, chaired by the princess, explained Habek.
Princess Lalla Hasna shared a table with Minister of Solidarity Jamila El Moussali, Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs Mohcine Jazouli, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region Governor Mohamed Yacoubi, and the Australian ambassador, among other officials.
Several artists animated the gala dinner, including Hamza Labied, winner of The Voice Kids Arab in 2018; Fatima Zahra Laaroussi; Mohamed Adly; and Australian singer Ayse Shanal and violinist Eleanor Hill from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
